Leg Cover

ABSTRACT

A leg cover including a supporter, which is worn on the knee or above the knee of a wearer and is provided with a plurality of buttons, and a tubular leg covering, in which button holes used for inserting the buttons of the supporter are provided in the vicinity of the upper edge portion of the leg covering. Instead of the supporter, a band can used so that a leg covering is attached the band with hook-and-loop fasteners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a leg cover and more particularly to aleg cover that comprises a leg covering and an attachment therefor.

2. Description of the Related Art

Jeans are suggested as garments associated with leg cover. Althoughstrong demand has recently arisen for jeans of various styles that meetrequirements for a fashionable appearance and comfortable feel and cansatisfy the users' desire to look stylish in a uniquely personal way, noproducts that can completely satisfy such requirements have been offeredso far. Typical jeans are disclosed in, for instance, Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open (Kokai) Nos. 2006-328625 and 2009-121008.

Due to the limitations jeans have in terms of highly fashionableappearance, etc., the inventors of the present application turned theirattention to leg cover. Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open(Kokai) No. H03-25514 discloses one type of leg cover. In this legcover, the portion of material covering the knee area is cut away and amesh-like woven fabric is used in the junction portion, with a rubberband or a string passed through both ends.

In the above-described leg cover, no consideration is given tofashionable appearance. In addition, the structure in which the legcover is fastened above the knee using a rubber band can easily dislodgeand shift the leg cover as a result of friction between the knee and therubber band during walking. In addition, the elasticity of the rubberband is liable to undergo degradation due to changes taking place overtime. In the structure where a string is used for fastening, when thestring is strongly tightened in order to prevent the leg cover frombeing dislodged, leg pain is produced; and on the other hand when thestring is adjusted loosely, the leg cover can be easily dislodged andshift. Thus, fastening of the leg cover with a string is extremelydifficult.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a legcover that is not prone to be dislodged from the knee and shift whilemeeting requirements for a fashionable appearance and comfortable feeland completely satisfying the users' desire to look stylish in auniquely personal way.

The above object is accomplished by a unique structure of the presentinvention for a leg cover that is characterized in that the leg covercomprises:

-   -   a supporter for being worn on the knee or above the knee of a        wearer and provided with a plurality of buttons, and    -   a leg covering provided with button holes formed in the vicinity        of its upper edge portion and used for making an engagement with        the buttons provided on the supporter.

In the above-described leg cover of the present invention, the buttonholes are formed in a vertically extending or elongated manner.

The above object is accomplished by another unique structure of thepresent invention for a leg cover that is characterized in that the legcover comprises:

-   -   a band for being wrapped above a knee of a wearer and provided        with hook-and-loop fasteners on the inside and outside surfaces        and both ends of the band are engaged by the hook-and-loop        fasteners, and    -   a leg covering provided on its inner surface in the vicinity of        the upper edge portion thereof with a hook-and-loop fastener        that engages with the hook-and-loop fastener of the band.

In the above-described leg cover of the present invention, a slit can beformed in the leg covering downwardly from its upper edge and aplurality of string holes used for passing a string therethrough can beformed on both sides of the slit.

In the present invention, the leg cover can be worn on just one leg ofthe wearer, and it is therefore possible to wear the same leg cover onboth legs and wear leg cover of different patterns and shapes, etc. oneach leg. In other words, along with providing for a more fashionableappearance by changing the combination of the leg covers worn on theleft and right legs, it is possible to meet requirements for acomfortable feel and satisfy the users' desire to look stylish in auniquely personal way.

In addition, in the leg cover of the present invention, the leg coveringis attached to a leg not directly but through the medium of asupporter(s) or a band(s); accordingly, the leg covering can be readilyremoved and replaced with another leg covering while wearing asupporter(s) (or a band(s)) on the leg.

Furthermore, in the structure of leg cover of the present invention thatinvolves a supporter, due to its elasticity and stretchability, thesupporter fits closely around the knee; and in the structure of the legcover of the present invention that involves a band, the band isattached so that it fits closely above the knee. Consequently, when theleg cover is attached, it is prevented from being dislodged from theknee and from shifting from the knee.

Still furthermore, in the structure of the leg cover of the presentinvention that involves a supporter, the button holes are formed in avertically extending manner in the leg covering. Accordingly, the legcovering can be moved slightly up and down because of the space affordedby the buttons of the supporter and button holes of the leg covering,and flexibility during walking can be ensured. On the other hand, in thestructure of the leg cover of the present invention that involves aband, a superior fashionable appearance is obtained if a string isprovided in the slit and string holes of the leg covering; and further,the opening in the upper portion of the leg covering can be adjusted byvarying the tightness of the string which, again, provides for asuperior fashionable appearance.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is an illustrative front view of one embodiment of the leg coveraccording to the present invention in use;

FIG. 2 is an illustrative rear view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view of the leg cover;

FIG. 4( a) is a perspective view of a leg covering and FIG. 4( b) is aperspective view of a supporter according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative view showing the supporters worn around theknees of a wearer; and

FIG. 6( a) is a perspective view of a leg covering and FIG. 6( b) is aperspective view of a band according to another embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the leg cover according to the present invention willbe described with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 1through FIG. 3, the leg cover of this embodiment comprises a legcovering 10 and supporters 20. The leg covering 10 is of substantially aflexible hollow cylindrical body made typically of cloth with both(upper and lower) ends opened and has a length covering substantiallythe thigh to the ankle of a wearer and a diameter of, for instance, 4-7inches (10-18 cm). The supporters 20 is of substantially a stretchablehollow tubular body with a height and a diameter of, for instance, 4-7inches when expanded or stretched, and it is worn around the knee of awearer so as to hold the leg coverings 10 above the knees.

As shown in FIG. 4( a), the upper edge portion 11 of the leg covering 10is designed so as to be inserted to above the knee of a wearer, andthree button holes 12 are formed in a vertically extending or elongatedmanner in the vicinity of the upper edge portion 11 so that they areseparated from each other at substantially equal distancecircumferentially. A slit 12 is formed to extend downwardly for, forexample, a few inches from the upper edge of the leg covering 10 so thatit is located on the lateral side when the leg covering 10 is worn onthe leg, and a plurality of string holes 15 used for passing a string 14therethrough are formed on both sides of the slit 13.

FIG. 4( b) shows the supporter 20, and this supporter 20 is formed fromfiber or resin possessing elasticity and stretchability in order toallow it to fit closely around the knee in a tubular configuration.Dedicated knee supporters marketed by Kowa Company, Ltd. are an exampleof such a supporter 20. In this embodiment, three buttons 21 areattached in the outer upper portion of the supporter 20 so as tocorrespond in positions and numbers to the button holes 12 of the legcovering 10.

The above-described leg cover is used in such a manner as describedbelow.

As shown in FIG. 5, the supporter 20 is first put on by passing one's(wearer's) foot therethrough and worn on the knee. Since the supporter20 is elastic and stretchable, it fits closely to the leg. Next, asshown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, the leg with the supporter 20 on isinserted into the leg covering 10, and the upper edge portion 11 of theleg covering 10 is positioned above the knee. Then the leg covering 10is turned so as align the button holes 12 with the buttons 21 of thesupporter 20. Alternatively, the supporter 20 can be turned so as toalign the buttons 21 with the button holes 12 of the leg covering 10.Next, the buttons 21 on the supporter 20 are inserted into the buttonholes 12 of the leg covering 10. As a result, the leg covering 10 isattached to the supporter 20 and worn on one leg. Onto the other leg,the supporter 20 is worn and then the leg covering 10 is attached to thesupporter 20 in a similar way.

In this manner, since the leg covering 10 can be worn just on one leg,it is possible to wear the same leg covering 10 on both legs or to wearleg covering 10 of different patterns, shapes, etc. on each leg. Inother words, along with providing for a more fashionable appearance bychanging the combination of the leg coverings 10 worn on the left andright legs, it is possible to meet requirements for a comfortable feeland satisfy the users' desire to look stylish in a uniquely personalway.

In this embodiment, the leg covering 10 is attached to the leg notdirectly but through the medium of the supporter 20. Accordingly, theleg covering 10 can be readily removed and replaced with another legcovering 10 while the supporter 20 is kept worn on one's leg. Inaddition, due to its elasticity and stretchability, the supporter 20fits closely to the knee; and when the leg covering 10 is attached, itis not likely to be dislodged from the knee and shifting. In addition,since the button holes 12 are formed in a vertically extending manner,the leg covering 10 can be moved slightly up and down during walkingbecause of the space afforded by the buttons 21 and button holes 12,ensuring flexibility. In addition, a superior fashionable appearance isobtained if a string 14 is provided in the slit 12 and string holes 15of the leg covering 10. Furthermore, the opening in the upper portion ofthe leg covering 10 can be adjusted by varying the tightness of thestring 14 which, again, provides for a superior fashionable appearance.

It should be noted that though in this embodiment three button holes 12are provided in the leg covering 10 and three buttons 21 are provided onthe supporter 20, there are no particular limitations with respect totheir number, and it is sufficient to provide two or more button holes12 and buttons 21.

Another embodiment of the leg cover of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 6( a) and FIG. 6( b). The leg cover ofthis embodiment comprises a leg covering 10 and a band 30 which is wornabove the knee area and used to attach the leg covering 10 above theknee.

In the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, in the upperedge portion 11 of the leg covering 10, a slit 12 is formed downwardlyfor a few inches from the upper edge so as to allow for wearing thecovering above the knee, and a plurality of string holes 15 used forpassing a string 14 therethrough are formed on both sides of the slit13. In this leg covering 10, two hook-and-loop fasteners 17 are attachedto the inner surface below and in the vicinity of the upper edgeportion.

The band 30 is in substantially a C-shape when viewed from above and hasa height of a few inches and a diameter of, for instance, 4-7 inches,and an outside hook-and-loop fastener 31 is attached to its outersurface, and an inside hook-and-loop fastener 32 which engages with theoutside hook-and-loop fastener 31 is attached to its inner or rearsurface at the ends (of the band).

The above-described leg cover of FIGS. 6( a) and 6(b) is used in such amanner as described below.

The band 30 is wrapped around the leg above the knee so that the side ofthe band 30 which has the outside hook-and-loop fastener 31 face theoutside, and the inside hook-and-loop fastener 32 at both ends of theband are engaged with the outside hook-and-loop fastener 31 at both endsof the band. As a result, the band 30 is worn above the knee. Next, theleg wearing the band 30 is inserted into the leg covering 10, with theupper edge portion 11 of the leg covering 10 positioned above the knee,and the hook-and-loop fastener 17 of the leg covering 10 is engaged withthe outside hook-and-loop fastener 31 of the band 30. As a result, theleg covering 10 is attached to the band 30 and worn on one leg. On theother leg, another band 30 is worn and a leg covering 10 is attached tothe band 30 in a similar way.

In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain effects similar to theembodiment described above. In other words, since the leg covering 10can be worn just on one leg, it is possible to wear the same legcovering 10 on both legs or wear a leg covering 10 of different patternsand shapes, etc. on each leg. Thus, along with providing for a morefashionable appearance by changing the combination of the leg covering10 worn on the left and right legs, it is possible to meet requirementsfor a comfortable feel and satisfy the users' desire to look stylish ina uniquely personal way.

In addition, since the leg covering 10 is attached to the leg notdirectly, but through the medium of the band 30, the leg covering 10 canbe readily removed and replaced with another leg covering 10 whilewearing the band 30 on one's leg. Additionally, since the band 30 isattached such that it fits closely above the knee, when the leg covering10 is attached, it is not likely that the leg covering 10 is dislodgedfrom the knee and shift. In addition, a superior fashionable appearanceis obtained if a string 14 is provided in the slit 12 and string holes15. Furthermore, the opening in the upper portion of the leg covering 10can be adjusted by varying the tightness of the string 14 which, again,provides for a superior fashionable appearance.

It should be noted that while two hook-and-loop fasteners 17 areattached to the inside of leg covering 10 in this embodiment, the numberof the hook-and-loop fastener 17 is not particularly limited. Inaddition, a single hook-and-loop fastener 17 may be provided over theentire inner circumferential surface of the leg covering 10. Also, whilethe inside hook-and-loop fastener 32 is provided over the entire rear orinside surface of the band 30, it goes without saying that it may beprovided at the end portions only.

1. A leg cover comprising: a supporter for being worn on a knee or abovethe knee of a wearer and provided with a plurality of buttons; and a legcovering provided with button holes formed in the vicinity of an upperedge portion thereof and used for making an engagement with the buttonsprovided on the supporter.
 2. The leg cover according to claim 1,wherein the button holes are formed in a vertically elongated manner. 3.A leg cover comprising: a band for being wrapped above a knee of awearer and provided with hook-and-loop fasteners on both inside andoutside surfaces thereof, both ends of the band being engaged with eachother by the hook-and-loop fasteners; and a leg covering provided on aninner surface thereof in the vicinity of an upper edge portion thereofwith a hook-and-loop fastener for making an engagement with thehook-and-loop fastener of the band.
 4. The leg cover according to claim1, wherein the leg covering is provided with: a slit so as to extenddownwardly from an upper edge thereof, and a plurality of string holesformed on both sides of the slit for passing a string therethrough. 5.The leg cover according to claim 3, wherein the leg covering is providedwith: a slit so as to extend downwardly from an upper edge thereof, anda plurality of string holes formed on both sides of the slit for passinga string therethrough.